Limited edition Harry Potter book from 1999 to be auctioned; expected to fetch £30,000

A retired British expat from Luxembourg was surprised to find out that a Harry Potter book that he had bought in the year 1999 could earn him Lakhs at an auction. The rare Harry Potter book is the first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone of which only 500 copies were printed. The British expat had this copy to himself for more than 20 years.

Harry Potter book to be auctioned

According to the reports by hansonsauctioneers.co.uk, the book will be a part of the auction and is estimated to be worth 20,000 to 30,000 pounds. The auction is going to be held at the Bishton Hall Auction Centre and people will be allowed to enter only on an appointment basis. Hansons' book expert Jim Spencer in a news release by the auction house said, “True first issues are seriously scarce”. 

Read: Harry Potter Will Be Seen Playing Quidditch In London This October; Here's How

(Image Credits: Hansonauctioneer.co.uk)

According to the news release, the retired expat said, “A couple of months ago when JKR bounced into the main news I decided to re-read the Potter series. I knew there had been a few first editions sold recently and Hansons was featured on the BBC website so, just to be safe, I checked the criteria”. He added, “I did not think mine would be valuable as it was certainly not purchased when first published. I was very surprised and shocked to see that it did in fact tick all the boxes, but still could not quite believe it until I checked with Jim Spencer”. The rare edition was published by Bloomsbury in the year 1997.

Read: Potterheads Can Now Spend A Night In Harry Potter's Gryffindor Common Room, Here's How

(Image Credits: Hansonauctioneers.co.uk)

(Image Credits: Hansonauctioneers.co.uk)

As per the news release, the original version of the book must read, '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1’. Talking about the scarcity of the book, Jim said, "True first issues are seriously scarce. Only 500 were printed, 300 of which were sent to schools and libraries. This is extra rare because it's one of the remaining 200. And yet this is my fourth one in just over a year! It's a cliched phrase, but they really are the holy grail for collectors. I’d dreamed of finding one for years before my first magical discovery in Staffordshire". 

Read: 6 Harry Potter Plot Holes That Are Bizarre And Beyond Understanding

Also Read: 'Harry Potter: Hogwarts Legacy' To 'BTS Universe': Recent Entertainment-gaming Crossovers

(Image Credits: Twitter/HansonsUK)